County plans to create special court for veterans

Published 5:20 pm, Monday, February 17, 2014

County commissioners recently authorized the application for a $100,000 grant that would help establish a specialty court for military veterans.

If formed, the court would hear cases for veterans who have been accused of misdemeanors. Judge Dean Rucker, vacating his 318th District judgeship later this year, would be the presiding judge for the specialty court.

Much like the mental health court that the county recently began on a test basis, the veterans court would serve a segment of the population that has special needs. For veterans, their needs may stem from drug abuse or mental health problems.

“Veterans have a special set of needs as far as when they suffer an injury during service,” said Cassandra Champion, a veterans rights attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project. “The most common one is post traumatic stress disorder.”

Post traumatic stress disorder occurs after someone goes through life- altering events such as combat exposure, child abuse, sexual assault or a terrorist attack, according to the National Center for PTSD. Of the 60 percent of men and 50 percent of women who experience at least one traumatic event, 8 percent of men and 20 percent of women will develop PTSD.

One of the symptoms of PTSD include behavioral changes such as alcohol or drug abuse.

“A program like this would address the root cause of the criminal behaviors,” Champion said.

Through counseling provided by medical partners with the court, veterans could be released from jail sooner and have a lesser chance of repeating the same offense, Champion said, adding that these are generally the benefits associated with specialty courts.

The pathway for veterans courts opened up through legislation in 2009 with state Senate Bill 1940. As of September 2013, there are 12 veterans courts in the state. They join the hundreds of other specialty courts other counties have formed including drug courts, DWI courts and mental health courts.

County Judge Mike Bradford said that if veterans do not receive counseling through the veterans court program, they would likely end up in jail.

“It does nobody good -- the veteran, the taxpayer, anybody,” Bradford said.